Graduate Student Highlight: Professional M.A. Class of December 2024

From left to right: Keifa Jaward, Lindsay Giovannone, Amélie Mahony, Ashley Rodriquez

On Friday, December 13, four of our Professional M.A. students presented portfolios of their work and completed their degrees. While at the SJMC, Lindsay Giovannone, Keifa Jaward, Amélie Mahony and Ashley Rodriguez, honed their journalistic skills in a wide variety of areas, including creative nonfiction, video journalism, podcasting, strategic communication, data journalism and more. Take a look at what our three of our four graduates have learned and their plans for the future.

Keifa Jaward

Area of focus: Journalism studies

Background: Prior to coming to SJMC, Jaward earned a BA with honors in Mass Communication from the University of Sierra Leone. After graduation, he served as a reporter for the Awoko Newspaper, a communications officer for FAO Sierra Leone and a communications officer for Sierra Leone Roads Authority. While at SJMC, Jaward hoped to enhance his long-form story-telling skills, learn to tell stories with a camera and enhance his knowledge in strategic communication.

Portfolio Highlights:

Training the people who make Wisconsin cheese unique

“I did this story out of curiosity to know what makes Wisconsin cheese very special to an extent that it is regarded as America’s best cheese,” Jaward said. “So, I used Brad as the human face of the story for readers to understand the standards that are set to become a cheesemaker in Wisconsin. The article was published on Madison Commons.”

Graduate Adviser Lisa Aarli retires from the SJMC

“This is a profile story on Lisa Aarli, former graduate advisor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication,” Jaward said. “I did it for one of my J-335 assignments. It was later published on the department’s website.”

With the COVID-19 assistance ending in 2025, rights advocates worry of an increase in homelessness in Dane County

“This is an article on the rate of eviction in Dane County – the social and legal issues around it,” Jaward said. “The article is published on Madison Commons.”

Social Media Plan for the UW-Fraction and Algebra Project

“This was my final project for the Principle and Practice of Strategic Communication class that I offered in summer,” Jaward said. “I served Social Media intern for the UW Fraction and Algebra Project in summer. I thought that was helpful for the project team because they did not have any.”

Documentary Photography Essay

“This is a photo essay that I did for a Documentary Photography class this semester,” Jaward said. “I covered a field walk organized by the Center for Culture, History, and Environment. Some of the photos have been published on their department’s website.”

Check out the full album.

Future Plans: After graduation, Jaward is considering an optional practical training to further his education and skills. He also plans to look for global opportunities to use his skills and hopes to establish a media outlet in Sierra Leone in the future.

Amélie Mahony

Area of focus: Mahony has mainly focused on entertainment but dabbled in other things while in the program as can be seen by her portfolio.

Background: Mahony came straight from undergrad to the SJMC. She graduated with undergraduate degrees in sociology and information and communication from University College Dublin. During her study abroad program her junior year at the University of Connecticut, Mahony joined a student organization called Her Campus, and it was there that she found her passion for journalism. That’s when she decided she wanted to get her master’s so she could learn more before stepping into the industry. Mahony applied to several programs across the U.S. and Canada but chose to come to Madison due to its excellent reputation and ability to tailor her program to her interests.

Portfolio Highlights:

The Unlikely Dance Paradise

“I wrote this story for [professor] Sue Robinson’s Creative Nonfiction class, and it is about two Madison-based dance teachers who have shared their love for hip hop and flamenco in a place where dance is not a big thing,” Mahony said. “This was definitely the biggest and most time-consuming story I did during my time in the program as it lasted all semester and required getting a lot of personal information from my sources.”

Oui oui, Ouisconsin

“This is my individual story for Curb Magazine which is created as part of [teaching faculty member] Stacy Forster’s Magazine Publishing class,” Mahony said. “I explored the connection between France and Wisconsin and who are some of the people who are keeping the language and culture alive.”

Goodbye Botox? The slow return to a more ‘natural’ look

“This summer, I did an internship at an Irish entertainment publication, and this was one of the articles I wrote that my boss really liked,” Mahony said. “I delved into how trends in beauty treatments are changing and how aesthetic clinics are encouraging clients to take care of their skin from a young age.”

Growing up with Love Island – How the show has impacted Gen Z’s view on romantic relationships

“As part of my final assignment for [teaching faculty member] Adam Schrager’s J335 class, I wrote a piece on how Love Island has impacted Gen Z’s view on relationships,” Mahony said. “It was my first major story I produced and it actually wasn’t my original idea for the assignment, but I learned to pivot and write something that felt more “me” rather than something more ‘serious.'”

One of a kind meat training program brings people from across the country to Madison

“This story was a part of Stacy [Forster]’s J903 Colloquium where the pro track cohort had to a series for Madison Commons revolving around food,” Mahony said. “As my family owns a meat business that I have worked in from a young age, I wanted to utilize my knowledge to write about the Master Meat Crafter program here at UW-Madison. I got to visit the Meat Science & Animal Biologics Discovery Building and learn about the new technologies that are taking over the meat industry while observing what members of the program were learning.”

Future Plans: Mahony has not found a full-time job yet but is hoping to find some kind of entertainment journalism work on the east coast once her U.S. work permit begins. In the meantime, she will return to Ireland and work for her family’s business.

Ashley Rodriguez

photo by Anjali Pinto

Area of Focus: Instead of a specific journalistic area of focus, Rodriguez focused on skill-building and reported on a variety of topics while working on her multimedia skills.

Background: Prior to SJMC, Rodriguez earned a degree in sociology from the University of Chicago and has been a freelance writer for about ten years. A lover of school, she chose to get her masters degree at the SJMC because wanted to network and meet people and get to know Madison better through journalism.

Portfolio Highlights:

A new class of ‘hotdoggers’ hits the road with relish

Rodriguez wrote this story for the Cap Times and tells the story of recent college graduates who work for Oscar Meyer. These students drive the iconic Weinermobile across the country to promote the brand. While working on this story, Rodriguez learned to focus on storytelling and capture the small details.

Flocking to Forward Madison FC, with a fan group like no other

Also for the Cap Times, Rodriguez created this photo story about the Forward Madison FC fan group, The Flock. While working on this story, she learned “that a lot of journalism is just being willing to show up and ask questions.”